Matterhorn Boulder

From the master...(Bob Murray, Bouldering Beyond Campbell, early 80s):

Matterhorn Boulder

(1) A few feet left of the overhanging outside corner is an obvious flake at eye level. Go up and left. B1+ Variation: with both hands on the flake, lunge up and left to the good fingertip hold. Eliminate the good left foothold at the start. B2

(2) Start same as (1) but go up and right to a small horn. Continue up and right. B1+

(3) Similar to (2) but use a hold around the corner to reach the small horn with the left hand. B1

(4) Start just around the corner from the first three problems. Climb the overhanging corner till one is forced to move left to join (3) at the small horn. B2

(5) Start same as (4). Good holds lead up and right to a difficult crux. B1+

(6) Start about ten feet right of (4), at a small ledge near the ground. Go up and right to the righthand corner of the overhanging face. B2 (jbak's note...this is the problem Murray later refered to as "Jewel Thief".)

In my opinion, this is the single best place to boulder in Tucson, even if it's just a single boulder. Solid rock, rad problems with tame topouts, and aesthetic lines from pretty easy to really hard. The only bummer is the lack of an easy downclimb (I generally hang from the lip of the sidepull problem and drop a couple feet onto a pad.) If you get bored here before your fingertips get thrashed you can check out the Secret Gulley, follow a faint (but well-cairned) trail onto the ridgeline to the south and drop into the left gully. There are some okay problems down there.

I wanted to scope out Matterhorn today so I rolled up there with the three little ones. There wasn't much for them to play around with on Matterhorn but my 13 year old and I had fun on the boulder just under Matterhorn as you walk in on your left.

Mostly there was a fun traverse from right to left starting at the very corner pointing toward Matterhorn. There was also some fun on the road side for my 7 and 8 year old.

Anyway, just thought I would mention that if you're heading up there with kids on tow.

Please be sure to scub off your tick marks on this boulder. This is especially true for those working the harder problems on the Jewel Thief side.

Nice to see that Tucson bouldering has had enough of a resurgence to get people bickering at each other regarding ratings and tick marks (online no less). Remember that if you play your own game you play against yourself with your own rules and you are the only won capable of winning.

Also, any bouldering here that is "good" isn't even worth a mention compared to what you can drive to in not much time at all that is world class, yes WORLD CLASS.

True, there are many world-class bouldering destinations quite close (2-6hrs), but I can climb "good" problems here in an afternoon.

There are only 2 world class areas anywhere close to here. One being Hueco, and the other being Queen Creek. Bishop is far away, and so are the other 3 areas(in the US) that really are world class. Not every good place is a world class. So,I don't think there are many world class areas close by.

I realize world class could be subjective, but Queen Creek, really??

I just threw up in my mouth.

One of the things that classifies a world class area is the amount of climbing that it holds. It may be sharp, but with approximately 10% explored I (as well as many others)count it as one of the few world class areas in the country. With a ton of great problem (talking about the bouldering) and many many more to be discovered, it counts. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's not world class. Queen is a GREAT area. That's right. G R E A T!!! Just my opinion.

I appreciate the old fire in the belly that I see here on MP about Lemmon bouldering!

Trey, a question:

How many bouldering areas have you visited? Bishop, Hueco, Fontainebleu??????

In my eyes ( and fingers ) these areas would qualify as 4 star ( or world class ) areas. Mount Lemmon would probably get 1.5 stars for bouldering. Short lines, sharp, grainy granite, eliminates. NOT EVEN CLOSE to anything of quality.

Again, the passion for bouldering is cool, lets just keep it real.

One Love,
DZ

ADDED: it's quality over quantity, who cares if an area is the size of 10 football fields if the rock is crappy. 10% developed, who cares! I'd take the mushroom boulder in a field by itself over ANYTHING on the whole mountain of Lemmon.

I have been to a bunch a areas. Hueco, JTree, Black Mt, Oak Flats, (many many times)and many others areas (going to Font next May and I AM SO EXCITED!!!). And I never said anything about Lemmon being a world class area. I agree with you on the 1.5 stars when it comes to Lemmon. I also agree about Mushroom Boulder. I would trade all of Lemmon just to have Mushroom Roof back. I was talking about Queen Creek being a World Class area. There are many 4 star problems there with and endless amount yet undiscovered. But to each their own.

No mention whatsoever of the bouldering around Flagstaff... Maybe the only single area here that's truly world class is Cherry, but we have lots of amazing areas all within an hour of each other, encompassing the entire spectrum: slab to face to steeps to roof, ultra-technical to ultra-burly, lowball traverses to pant-loading highballs, urban quick-access to near-alpine exploratory wilderness. There is a ton left to be explored and the best areas are probably yet to be found. And only three and a half hours from Tucson! Don't forget about Prescott either, incredible granite and volcanics already established. and it seems like someone finds a new massive field of boulders there every year or two.

Anyway, the Matterhorn boulder is rad, and even though the bouldering in Tucson is certainly no destination it's always nice to have decent REAL boulders with such quick access. Could be a lot worse.

I don't think flagstaff really counts as an "area" (as in Hueco, Bishop, Font.) like we were talking about. Now don't get me Wrong I LOVE FLAG!!!!!!!!! I LOVE KELLY!!!!!! CHERRY IS SICK!!!!!!!!!!

Well that's true, but people refer to the town and valley of Bishop as though it were one area, though it is indeed several: Milks, Happys, Sads, Sherwin Plateau, Rock Creek, Druid Stones, etc. Not that it really matters but as long as we're discussing semantics...

Anyway point is, Flag is close! and the bouldering here rocks. And the bouldering in Tucson really ain't that bad, and it's cool to see a fire over it down there.

I started a Tucson bouldering thread so we could discuss these an other issues in a more convenient an easy to follow place.

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/arizona__new_mexico/tucson_>>>>>